Officer resigns after not helping woman in Puerto Rico shirt

The police officer who resigned Wednesday after refusing to help a woman who was being verbally harassed for wearing a shirt with a Puerto Rican flag on it believes that he hasn't gotten a "fair shake" and took the appropriate action at the time.

In the footage, a man can be seen approaching Irizarry saying: "You should not be wearing that in the United States of America". He gets closer to her and asks "Are you a citizen?" She asks a park police officer to help, saying, "I am renting this area and he's harassing me about the shirt that I'm wearing".

"Officer, officer, I feel highly uncomfortable", repeatedly asking Officer Patrick Connor to do something about the incident. He was intoxicated at the time, the Forest Preserves of Cook County has said. Connor is seen walking away.

She plans to interview all officers at the scene as well as Irizarry and said the video will be used in future training exercises by the Forest Preserves.

Cook County Commissioner Jesús "Chuy" García had called for such charges against Trybus a day earlier. "We are further addressing aspects of this incident", a spokesperson for the Forest Preserves of Cook County said in a statement, adding the superintendent would address the matter to the media on Thursday.

Irizzary had paid for a permit to hold a birthday party at Caldwell Woods when the man - who has been identified as Timothy Trybus - first approached her. The video's caption proclaimed that it captured: "A man [who] harassed a woman wearing a Puerto Rico shirt because she 'should not be wearing that in the United States of America'".

'We will be looking into this incident as our offices in DC are in contact with local and state authorities, demanding that this officer be expelled from the police force, ' Rosello tweeted on Tuesday. Trybus was arrested and charged with assault and disorderly conduct.

The fact that he resigned under pending disciplinary proceedings will be noted in his personnel file - a red flag that means he can never be re-hired at the forest preserve, Arnold said.

"I do not feel comfortable with him here". Can you please grab him? It says all visitors should feel safe.

"OK, OK", Ms Irizarry says, trying to placate him.

"You don't come here harassing people", the officer continues.

Ricardo Rossello, the governor of Puerto Rico, wants the officer fired. "People have just as much right to be here as you and when you're drunk, you don't belong here".

Connor then writes down Irizarry's statement of the events.

He says he was there for a separate incident and notes that she was not being attacked.

District police Chief Kelvin Pope said Connor was "very remorseful" when he resigned on Wednesday, but that Connor considered it "an unfortunate incident" and felt he wasn't "given a fair shake" by all the publicity. Puerto Rican residents have been American citizens since 1917 and have the right to vote in USA presidential primaries, but not in presidential elections.